WG: Take / Receive¶
Overview¶
The take/receive concept in the Greek NT is carried by a family of λαμβάνω compounds plus the semantically adjacent δέχομαι and δίδωμι (the give/receive pair). Together they map the full range from active seizing to willing reception to gracious giving.
Word Group Members¶
| Strong's | Word | Transliteration | POS | Occurrences | Role in Concept | Library Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G2983 | λαμβάνω | lambano | verb | 247 | Core: take/receive (general) | G2983-lambano.md |
| G1325 | δίδωμι | didomi | verb | 377 | Counterpart: give | G1325-didomi.md |
| G1209 | δέχομαι | dechomai | verb | 48 | Willing reception, welcome | TODO(need G1209 study) |
| G3880 | παραλαμβάνω | paralambano | verb | 50 | Receive by transmission, take alongside | TODO(need G3880 study) |
| G2638 | καταλαμβάνω | katalambano | verb | 14 | Seize eagerly, overtake, comprehend | TODO(need G2638 study) |
| G1949 | ἐπιλαμβάνομαι | epilambanomai | verb | 18 | Take hold of, seize (for help or harm) | TODO(need G1949 study) |
Relationships¶
Word Family (lambano compounds)¶
lambano (G2983) is the root; the compounds add directional prefixes: - para- (alongside) → paralambano: receive by tradition, take with - kata- (down/intensely) → katalambano: seize eagerly, overtake - epi- (upon) → epilambanomai: take hold of, lay hold - ana- (up) → analambano (G353, not in group): take up - apo- (from/back) → apolambano (G618, not in group): receive back, receive in full
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)¶
| Word A | Word B | Shared Verses | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| lambano (G2983) | didomi (G1325) | 26 | give/receive pair: "freely ye have received, freely give" (Mat 10:8) |
| lambano (G2983) | dechomai (G1209) | 4 | Receive parallelism: "he that receiveth a prophet... shall receive a prophet's reward" (Mat 10:41) |
| lambano (G2983) | katalambano (G2638) | 2 | Prize/pursuit: "one receiveth the prize... so run that ye may obtain" (1Cor 9:24) |
| lambano (G2983) | paralambano (G3880) | 1 | Tradition chain: "I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered" (1Cor 11:23) |
| dechomai (G1209) | paralambano (G3880) | 1 | Double reception: "when ye received the word of God... ye received it" (1Th 2:13) |
Shared Hebrew Source (LXX bridge)¶
| Hebrew | Greek Members Mapped | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| H3947 לָקַח (laqach) | lambano (755x), dechomai (24x), paralambano (12x) | The broad Hebrew "take" verb maps to the entire lambano family |
| H3027 יָד (yad) | dechomai (10x), epilambanomai (8x) | "hand" context — physical reception and grasping |
Roles in the Concept¶
- General take/receive: lambano (G2983) — the unmarked default, covering the full semantic range
- Give (counterpart): didomi (G1325) — the other half of the exchange; 26x co-occurrence with lambano makes this the most significant pairing
- Welcome/accept: dechomai (G1209) — emphasizes favorable disposition of the receiver
- Receive by tradition: paralambano (G3880) — receive what is handed down or alongside
- Seize/comprehend: katalambano (G2638) — aggressive taking or mental grasping
- Lay hold of: epilambanomai (G1949) — purposeful grasping, often for rescue or arrest
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together¶
- Mat 10:8, 41 — lambano + didomi: "freely ye have received, freely give"; lambano + dechomai: "he that receiveth... shall receive"
- 1Cor 9:24-25 — lambano + katalambano: "one receiveth the prize... so run that ye may obtain"
- 1Cor 11:23 — lambano + paralambano: "I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you"
- 1Th 2:13 — dechomai + paralambano: "when ye received [paralambano] the word... ye received [dechomai] it not as the word of men"
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, search_strongs.py Last updated: 2026-04-09